


Fatherly advice

by epersonae



Series: Aftermath [14]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Also relationship advice?, Angus is Baby Magcretia, Gen, Merle giving fatherly advice cracks me up, Post-Canon, the meaning of forgiveness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-30 00:58:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15085547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/epersonae/pseuds/epersonae
Summary: From one dad to another, Merle gives the benefit of his experience. Magnus drinks a cider. Merle has opinions about forgiveness.





	Fatherly advice

**Author's Note:**

> Set sometime shortly after [Poker Night](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11631834) and [We are because we were](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11795550).

When the knock came at the door after a long quiet evening, Johann jumped up and ran to it, barking, while Magnus stood, brushing woodchips from his pants, and set down the dog he was carving. “Shhh, sit,” he said to the dog, who took up a position just beside the door as Magnus opened it.

Merle stood on the front porch; he held up a six-pack of ciders. “Got a minute?”

“You just happened to be in the neighborhood,” said Magnus.

“I had these ciders, and I said to myself, I figured, who else to share them with than my favorite fellow dad.”

Magnus sighed. “Come on in, Merle.”

As they sat down, ciders in hand, Merle said, “So, yeah, congratulations?”

Magnus harrumphed. Merle nodded thoughtfully.

“Listen, kid, you pretty much hit the ol’ jackpot, am I right?”

“Uh.” Magnus was at a loss for words.

“I mean, not only did you miss the whole peeing and pooping everywhere phase, but he's so smart he basically went all the way to smart-ass, and everyone we know already pretty much adopted him. So all you gotta do is get him to soccer once in a while and let him play with those dogs, and you were gonna do that anyway, right?”

Magnus frowned. 

“Tell me I'm wrong, kiddo. Listen, what does it change, really? You care about him, right?”

Magnus nodded. 

“And he cares about you, and you're gonna do your darndest to earn that. Same as I do for Mavis, and it ain't like she's my blood, but I love her, and I'm gonna be as good a dad for her as I can, as much as I do with Mookie. And I guess this is the opposite of that, but it's also kinda the same, ya know?”

Magnus shrugged. “Yeah, but—”

“But what?”

“Taako’s not wrong.”

Merle snorted. “That shithead is wrong about plenty,  _ especially  _ when he's had a few. What's he said that's eating you?”

“Me and Luce….” He sighed. “I think we're… It's definitely not just friends.”

“Yeah, okay. Big surprise there. So? You worried Taako’s gonna break up with you?”

“Merle!”

Merle took a swig of cider. 

“Don't act so damn surprised. I may be half blind, but I do have  _ one  _ good eye, well actually it's kinda messed up too, but point is, I've known both of you a long damn time, and it's not like like either of you— any of you— are exactly subtle. ‘Cept maybe her.” He smiled, just a touch embarrassed. 

“You really had a crush on her,” said Magnus, incredulous. 

“She was pretty, uh…. Distinguished, ya know, and I, uh, yep.” He laughed. “Egg on my face now, right? Bet it gave her a good laugh at ol’ Merle's expense.”

“She would never!”

“Ah, you do have it bad.” He waggled his eyebrows before going serious again. “You talk to her about it yet, this whole thing with the kid?” Merle squinted up at Magnus. “Is that what it is, you afraid you're not gonna like what she's got to say? Afraid  _ Taako’s not wrong  _ about that too?” Merle rolled his one good eye. 

“Something like that, I guess. Just….” He slumped in his chair, picking at the cider label. “I don't understand, I guess, you know,  _ why.” _

“What answer is she gonna give you that's gonna change how you feel, about her, about Angus, hell, about Taako? She's not— she ain't a  _ monster.  _ We all already know that she made some, I guess, choices, that everything being equal, maybe we wish she hadn't.”

Magnus laughed. “Nice understatement, Merle.”

“Well, it's not like I haven't had this  _ discussion  _ a few times in the last year. With somebody's got as much of a bone to pick, and we're still on different sides of  _ that,  _ but I figure, you forgive someone, you gotta actually forgive ‘em. Let it go for real, and trust that why you forgave ‘em is stronger than whatever needed forgiving to begin with.”

Magnus took a deep breath. “Right. That's…. Right. Okay. No, that makes sense. I just, you know.”

“Oh, for sure.” Merle reached down to pet the dog laying at his feet. “Like I said, been having to talk about this some. Given me a chance to think, and that's where I come down at. Might be different for you, and that's fine. But make sure it's where  _ your _ heart is at, not anybody else's.” He pressed his soulwood fist to his chest. “She came at it from a good place, is all I'm saying, and I think it's worth remembering that.”

“True,” Magnus replied. He finished his cider, set down the bottle, picked up the unfinished carving. He smiled. “Can't even believe— That's my kid.”

“That little shit? Yeah, I believe it.” He took another drink, then set down his now-empty bottle. “I kid, I kid. Ya did good, Maggie, the both of you.”

“Don’t feel like I  _ did _ anything, other than, you know.”

“Doing it  _ now _ , though, and I know you’re gonna keep on doing good, son. You’ll work it out, all of ya. I got faith in you. In all of you.”

“Thanks dad.”

Merle guffawed, then, still laughing, said “Aw, stuff it. I hope Angus gives you half as much grief as you all give me. Serves you right.”

Magnus’s laugh comes a little easier, and he cracks open a second cider, then hands another to Merle. They clink bottles and settle into a companionable silence, dog at their feet.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote another fic (to be published momentarily) with Magnus and Lucretia, and realized I needed to bridge the feelings that come up in _We are because we were; and then it occurred to me that the right character to help with that was another conflicted father, who also loves someone who's not exactly Lucretia's biggest fan right now._


End file.
